Remember when you were supposed to become a metrosexual?:
‘Perhaps the best that can be said about the creative-class idea is that it follows a real, if overhyped, phenomenon: the movement of young, largely single, childless and sometimes gay people into urban neighborhoods. This Soho-ization—the transformation of older, often industrial urban areas into hip enclaves—is evident in scores of cities. It can legitimately can be credited for boosting real estate values from Williamsburg, Brooklyn, Wicker Park in Chicago and Belltown in Seattle to Portland’s Pearl District as well as much of San Francisco’
Kotkin on Richard Florida’s vision:
‘His reasonable and fairly brave, if belated, takeaway: “On close inspection, talent clustering provides little in the way of trickle-down benefits.’
So If the jobs aren’t all coming from tech, knowledge, and the ‘creative class,’are they coming from lost manufacturing, industry, energy and agriculture?
Addition: See Reason’s comments. Aren’t there deeper economic analyses?
***See Also: Virginia Postrel’s piece at Bloomberg. Are we making two types of American city, or have everyday Joes just stopped going to San Francisco and New York, and those cities are hollowing out to become the centers of trade, finance, and commerce they’ve always been. The European vision of the city overlooks real economic growth: ‘How The Elites Built America’s Wall‘
New York was always a place for trade and commerce: Repost: Via Youtube: Ric Burns—New York: A Documentary Film – Episode One: The Country and The City (1609-1825)
You don’t get the progressive base without the restrictive laws…they are baby steps to paradise: Richard Epstein At Defining Ideas: ‘City Planners Run Amok’……Richard Epstein At The Hoover Institution’s Defining Ideas: ‘California’s Kafkaesque Rent Control Laws’
They designed a city in the heart of Brazil that really doesn’t work for people: Brasilia: A Planned City
A structure in the desert…not even a city Update On LACMA, Michael Heizer And The ‘Levitated Mass’-Modern Art And The Public;..where is modernism headed?
Meanwhile, what do we do with rust belt cities: From Grist.Org Via The New Republic Via The A & L Daily: ‘Getting Past “Ruin Porn” In Detroit’
If you have a few minutes, it might be worth checking out Tony Hsieh, founder of Zappo’s online, putting $350 million of his own money into downtown Las Vegas to change the city. From his original company LinkExchange which he sold, to Zappo’s customer focused business model, to Las Vegas itself, Hsieh is after scalability of interaction. He wants to create a live/work environment that puts people densely enough to continue urban growth and human interaction.
At least he’s putting up his own money to achieve his vision: